S. Jackson has high expectations. Should he be the #1 RB drafted?

[yo mama]

I can't fathom why anyone would think that Julius Jones and TJ Duckett are going to do well this season or ever again.

I tend to agree, especially if they split carries evenly. If one of them were to emerge as the primary ball carrier I might change my opinion. Duckett has had a 3.9 YPC or better in 4 of his 6 years, with his carrier high of 5.2YPC just last year. (And for the Lions, no less). He's never handled more than 200 carriers per season, but the one year he got close (2003 with ATL) he rushed for 779 yards (4.0 YPC) and notched 11 rushing TDs. Granted, its been a few years since then, but Duckett is barely a blip in fantasy mock drafts right now (12th round) compared to Julius Jones (5/6th round). I don't know if I'd reach that high for Jones, but I'd certainly be willing to gamble a 12th rounder on Duckett.

[HowboutthemCowboys]

Granted, its been a few years since then, but Duckett is barely a blip in fantasy mock drafts right now (12th round) compared to Julius Jones (5/6th round). I don't know if I'd reach that high for Jones, but I'd certainly be willing to gamble a 12th rounder on Duckett.

Agreed. I would take a flyer on Duckett in the 12th.

Maybe it's b/c I'm a Dallas fan and I'm soured on JJ but I don't think I'd be comfortable drafting him at all.

[yo mama]

Agreed. I would take a flyer on Duckett in the 12th.

Maybe it's b/c I'm a Dallas fan and I'm soured on JJ but I don't think I'd be comfortable drafting him at all.

Well, he did okay last year; nothing special at all. But *if* he's starting then you sort of have to consider drafting him at some point. But if he's splitting time in a past-first offense then I don't see the appeal. (Though the Seahawks are "supposed" to run it more this year). About the only thing I can say nice about Julius Jones is that he hasn't been hurt recently and the Seahawks have a pretty high scoring offense (tied for 9th most points last year).

Edited May 13, 2008 by yo mama

[HowboutthemCowboys]

Well, he did okay last year; nothing special at all. But *if* he's starting then you sort of have to consider drafting him at some point. But if he's splitting time in a past-first offense then I don't see the appeal. (Though the Seahawks are "supposed" to run it more this year).

 

Yeah, that's what they're saying but I'll have to see it to believe it. We'll see how long that approach lasts after they see Jones run into the line and fall down about 20 times.

[yo mama]

Yeah, that's what they're saying but I'll have to see it to believe it. We'll see how long that approach lasts after they see Jones run into the line and fall down about 20 times.

Yeah, he's not much of an inside runner. What I don't understand is this: with an 88.46% reception ratio, why wasn't Dallas throwing more to him out of the backfield? He also averaged 8.8 yards per reception, which was like the 14th best in the NFL (when you exclude all the scrubs you've never heard of). Better than Rudi, Gore, Westbrook, Fargas, LT2, Edge, Thomas Jones, and tons of others. It's obviously a small sample size for Julius; too small to rely heavily on. But it begs the question of whether he would have additional value if he were used more like Westbrook. They've got pretty similar builds (both a few inches shy of 6'0'', around 205 lbs) and are on pass-happy offenses.

Edited May 13, 2008 by yo mama

[Seahawks21]

Jones is absolutely thievery in the 5th round. He is going to get a big enough piece of the pie in a good offense to be deserve a solid #2 RB spot. He is just perfect for this offense. There are yards to be had if had a back that could hit the hole quick. Jones may not be great after contact, but he should be able to get through the line pretty regularly. He will have to totally fall on his face in order to lose significant carries to TJ Duckett. Look for Jones to surprise this year.

[tazinib1]

Jones is absolutely thievery in the 5th round. He is going to get a big enough piece of the pie in a good offense to be deserve a solid #2 RB spot. He is just perfect for this offense. There are yards to be had if had a back that could hit the hole quick. Jones may not be great after contact, but he should be able to get through the line pretty regularly. He will have to totally fall on his face in order to lose significant carries to TJ Duckett. Look for Jones to surprise this year.

 

 

Homerism at its finest. Kindly remove the rose colored glasses and look at your offense objectively.

[Randall]

Jones is absolutely thievery in the 5th round. He is going to get a big enough piece of the pie in a good offense to be deserve a solid #2 RB spot. He is just perfect for this offense. There are yards to be had if had a back that could hit the hole quick. Jones may not be great after contact, but he should be able to get through the line pretty regularly. He will have to totally fall on his face in order to lose significant carries to TJ Duckett. Look for Jones to surprise this year.

 

 

Surprise you they signed him.

[Jackass]

Jones is absolutely thievery in the 5th round. He is going to get a big enough piece of the pie in a good offense to be deserve a solid #2 RB spot. He is just perfect for this offense. There are yards to be had if had a back that could hit the hole quick. Jones may not be great after contact, but he should be able to get through the line pretty regularly. He will have to totally fall on his face in order to lose significant carries to TJ Duckett. Look for Jones to surprise this year.

 

i could see him racking up 1000 yards between the 20's but would be shocked if he had more than 4 or 5 td's. He's always been a poor runner near the goal line and i don't see that changing.

[Seahawks21]

Homerism at its finest. Kindly remove the rose colored glasses and look at your offense objectively.

Those that have been here a while will tell you that I am more of an anti-homer than one who wears the shades. All I'm saying is....if Mo Morris was almost startable in this offense, Julius Jones will be just fine. This is a good offense. Any starting RB in such a good offense will get solid numbers by default alone. Call me crazy, but I'm just not scared off by TJ Duckett.

[bushwacked]

Call me crazy, but I'm just not scared off by TJ Duckett.

 

TJ Duckett was good in short yardage situations last year...even if Duckett doesn't eat a lot of carries this year, there is a good chance he vultures some TDs.

[Seahawks21]

TJ Duckett was good in short yardage situations last year...even if Duckett doesn't eat a lot of carries this year, there is a good chance he vultures some TDs.

I agree. I'm quite sure he will, which is why I don't think it is possible that Jones can achieve #1 value. Holmgren did have a comment this week about how he has tried in the past to bring in a big back for short yardage, and it often backfired. I think Jones has a shot to get the TD's. If he performs well in short yardage his first few attempts, he can earn the right to stay on the field. My perception of Jones really isn't all that high, I just don't think Duckett is any good. You're right though, in our dreamland, Duckett will be an exceptional short yardage back. That would help this team tremendously.

[CMac83]

Here's the thing: I think J Jones' absolute ceiling is probably 1200 combined yards and 6 TDs. I'd wager on Thomas Jones or LenDale White achieving those numbers (or better) before Julius. And it's more likely that Julius ends up with 1000 and 3.

[piratesownninjas]

Here's the thing: I think J Jones' absolute ceiling is probably 1200 combined yards and 6 TDs. I'd wager on Thomas Jones or LenDale White achieving those numbers (or better) before Julius. And it's more likely that Julius ends up with 1000 and 3.

I'd absolutely put LenDale White and Thomas Jones ahead of Julius Jones... In that order.

[HowboutthemCowboys]

This is a good offense. Any starting RB in such a good offense will get solid numbers by default alone. .

Julius Jones was in a pretty decent offense last year and rushed for less than 600 yds. No way he hits 1000 this year IMHO.

[bushwacked]

No way he hits 1000 this year IMHO.

 

But he hit 1,000 (993 in 2005) in the previous 2 years though.

[tazinib1]

Those that have been here a while will tell you that I am more of an anti-homer than one who wears the shades. All I'm saying is....if Mo Morris was almost startable in this offense, Julius Jones will be just fine. This is a good offense. Any starting RB in such a good offense will get solid numbers by default alone. Call me crazy, but I'm just not scared off by TJ Duckett.

 

Fair enough. I'm just not sure J.Jones will be worth more than a low #2 RB. We all know this is Matt's team and even with the depleted WR core, I expect to see him chucking it up ALOT this season.